SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed a relief package for New Mexicans into law on Wednesday that will deliver grants to small businesses, supplemental payments to the unemployed, and other emergency food and housing relief. The legislation was approved on Tuesday evening in both chambers of the Legislature.
Gov. Lujan Grisham signed House Bill 1 at the state Capitol and it will take effect immediately. According to the Office of the Governor, the package provides for $100 million in grants for small businesses in New Mexico and will be administered by the New Mexico Finance Authority.
The more than 100,000 New Mexicans claiming unemployment, including those whose benefits have been exhausted recently, will receive a one-time $1,200 New Mexico Worker Pandemic Benefit in the coming weeks. This supplemental benefit will be administered by the Department of Workforce Solutions.
The Office of the Governor reports in a press release that other resources provided for in the relief package include:
- $15 million for emergency housing assistance and assistance for the homeless
- $5 million for emergency foodbank services
- $5 million for direct assistance to low-income residents who did not receive an “economic impact payment” from the federal government
The legislation also delivers $10 million to the Department of Health in order to support COVID-19 contact tracing, testing, and vaccine distribution efforts.
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